It’s July, summer is here, and I wanted to keep the vibe movin with something upbeat this month. Dug around in the crates for some flavorful instrumentals with that (swinging) combination of hard beats, jazzy horns and raw basslines from classic producers. Basically, this is something you can either put on the boombox and marinate to, or put on at the backyard party as the sun is setting and get your groove on. It’s the swing of the drum programming or the bodies on the dancefloor – or both.

I tried to keep the selections flavor but bring back some records that might have gotten passed over or forgotten. People might be surprised by Jay Leno’s voice at the start, but it gives context to the classic “Breakfast at Denny’s” jazzy 90s experiment of combining DJ Premier and Branford Marsalis. Classic material.

Also, wanted to let everyone know I dropped a bonus mix of hip-hop last month – Occasional Mix #2 – which you can download by clicking here.

As KRS would say, feel the vibe, feel the beat. With so much craziness and negativity in the world right now, hopefully these mixes take your mind somewhere else for a little while. Enjoy.

DJ Ian HeadI've been collecting records since 1996, and distributing digital music on the internet since 2006. This site will be updated on a regular basis. The majority of the product is available free.